Josh Sundquist – författare

Josh Sundquist had only ever had one girlfriend.For 23 hours.In eighth grade.Why was Josh still single? To find out, he tracked down the girls he had tried to date and asked them straight up: What went wrong?We Should Hang Out Sometime is the the result of Josh's semi-scientific, wholly hilarious investigation. From a disastrous putt-putt date involving a backwards prosthetic foot to his introduction to CFD (Close Fast Dancing) to a misguided "grand gesture" at a Miss America pageant, this story is about looking for love-or at least a girlfriend-in all the wrong places. We Should Hang Out Sometime is for every person who has ever wondered, "is there something wrong with me?" (the answer, by the way, is "no"). By revisiting middle school, high school, and college experiences, inspirational speaker Josh Sundquist shares what it was like to grow up as "the guy with one leg." Interspersed with the author's black-and-white line art, this real life story will appeal to fans of The Fault In Our Stars and Ned Vizzini's Teen Angst.

After a lifetime attending a school for the blind, sixteen-year-old Will Porter's first day at a mainstream high school went about as well as he expected. He accidentally grazed a girl's boob when reaching for a handrail on the stairs, he sat on another student in the cafeteria, and he somehow drove a new classmate to tears without saying a word. His high school career can only go up from there, right? As Will starts to find his footing, he develops a crush on a charming, quiet girl name Cecily. And despite his fear that having a girlfriend will make him inherently dependent on someone sighted, the two of them grow closer and closer. Then an unprecedented opportunity arises: an experimental surgery that could give Will eyesight for the first time in his life. But learning to see is more difficult than Will could have ever imagined, and as he adjusts to his new sense, he finds the sighted world has been keeping more secrets from him than he realized. It turns out that the girl he's been falling for doesn't meet traditional definitions of beauty. In fact, everything he'd heard about her appearance now appears to be a lie engineered by their so-called friends to get the two of them together. Does it matter what Cecily looks like? No, not really. But then why does Will feel so betrayed? Told in Will's voice as he transitions from blind to sighted, this is a story about the nature of perception, love, trust, and romantic attraction. With moments of breathtaking poignancy, it's about how we relate to each other and the world around us, and how true friendship is one thing you don't need to be able to see to believe.

On his first day at a new school, blind sixteen-year-old Will Porter accidentally groped a girl on the stairs, sat on another student in the cafeteria, and somehow drove a new classmate to tears without ever saying a word. High school can only get better from there, right?As Will starts to find his footing, he develops a crush on a sweet but shy girl named Cecily. Then an unprecedented opportunity arises: an experimental surgery that could give Will eyesight for the first time in his life. But learning to see is more difficult than Will ever imagined, and he soon realizes that the sighted world has been keeping secrets. It turns out Cecily doesn't meet traditional definitions of beauty-in fact, everything he'd heard about her appearance was a lie by their so-called friends to get the two of them together. Does it matter what Cecily looks like? No, not really. But then why does Will feel so betrayed?Filled with humor and breathtaking poignancy, Love and First Sight is a story about how we relate to each other and the world around us, and how love is one thing you don't need to see to believe.

As a semi-famous internet creator, Josh Sundquist knows what it's like to chase fame, but he also knows that more fame usually means more stress. So he set out on a pseudo-scientific investigation to find out if there is any way for fame and happiness to overlap.He attempts to define the word "fame"-hint: it's harder than you'd think. He turns back time to identify the first facially-recognizable celebrity (you might know his former BFF Brutus). He digs into the numbers to debunk urban legends associated with stardom (ever heard of the 27 Club?). He talks to other semi-famous people (from K-pop sensations to former child stars) and asks them: Is this fame thing making you happy? If not, why are you doing it? If so, what's your secret? All while recounting funny stories about his own cringy fame-seeking (like his many attempts, and failures, to get onto MTV).Packed with playful diagrams, fascinating insights from celebrities, and embarrassing truths from Josh's experience with semi-fame, this is a must-read for anyone who has ever dreamed of becoming famous...or at least going viral on TikTok.